AMES, Iowa -- Agricultural workers and pesticide handlers in both greenhouse/nursery and agricultural applications now have four self-inspection checklists available to measure Worker Protection Standard (WPS) compliance. The Pest Management and the Environment Program (PME) at Iowa State University and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) say the series is now available. “This set of four self-inspection checklists will assist agricultural employers, pesticide dealers and growers to ensure compliance with WPS,” said Betsy Buffington, ISU Extension PME program specialist.

The checklists now available to download from the ISU Extension Online Store are:

Buffington said agricultural establishments can use the checklists to conduct a walk-through and self-audit their operation. “Each checklist provides a brief overview of basic WPS requirements and refers to more detailed information in the Environmental Protection Agency’s manual, ” she said. The agency manual, “How to Comply with the Worker Protection Standard for Agricultural Pesticides –What Employers Need to Know,” is also available for download from the ISU Extension online store.

The WPS is a federal regulation designed to protect employees on farms, forests, nurseries and greenhouses from occupational exposures to agricultural pesticides. The Worker Protection Standard offers protections to approximately 2.5 million agricultural workers (people involved in the productionof agricultural plants) and pesticide handlers (people who mix, load or apply pesticides) who work at more than 600,000 agricultural establishments.

The WPS checklists were developed by Iowa State University Extension with funding support from the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.